Water-gage safety device



' E. PULSIFER. WATER GAGE SAFETY DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-19| I9I8- Patented J an. 4, 1921.

n .0 I, Isl-l@ A ERNEST PULSIJEER, 0F SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS.

WATER-GAGE SAFETY DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. a, 1921.

Application filed November 19, 1918. Serial No. 263,117.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ERNEST PULsirnn, a citizen ot the United States, anda resident of Salem, county ofEsseX, State or" Massachusetts, haveinvented an Improvement in rater-Gage Safety Devices, olf which thefollowing is a specification. n

This invention relates to certain improve` ments in safety devices forthe water gage glass ot a steam boiler, `which'are designed to operateautomatically to close communication between the boiler and gage glass,so that escape of steam and water will be prevented, in case the gageglass should be broken. y

Prior to my invention various devices `for this purpose have beenproduced, a common form being a check valve device, which is closed bythe iiow of steam or water through the connections, but in many States,use ot such devices is prohibited on account ot their liability toclose, or obstruct these pas-` sages at times other than when the gage fglass becomes broken, so thatit will not register the water levelcorrectly. Other automatic devices for this purpose depend on themaintenance ot pressure between the gage cocks and the gage glass tohold the means for automatically closing said cocks in inoperativeposition, `and it is to this speciiic class of devices to which thisinvention more particularly relates, and which it is the special purposeof this invention to improve.

It is desirable, at times, to blow off the gage glass, as in case offoaming otl the boilerand for `other reasons,.this usually being done byopening a valve at the bottom of the gage glass, so that a rush of steamtherethrough is permitted, and with prior devices for automaticallyclosing the gage glass connections; so Jfar as I am aware the automaticmeans will be caused to operate if it is attempted to blow oit the gageglass when the parts are in normal position.

The objects of my invention are to provide an automatically operatingdevice ot the character above described which is of simple constructionand positive ot operation, when the gage glass becomes broken, and willnot operate at any other times, and to provide a device otthis characterwhich will permit the gage glass to be blown o without being caused tooperate to close the gage cocks.

I accomplish these objectsby the means which.-

Figure l is a front elevation, partly in section, of an embodiment of myinvention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof and F ig. 3 is a detail sectionalView of the pressure operated device.

As shown in the drawing, the gage glass a is indicated as supported inthe usual manner by fittings b andc at top and bottom, said fittingsbeing connected to the boiler d above and below the normal water line inthe usual manner. Said iittings I) and c are provided with valves c andf respectively, whichare arranged to engage seats in the boilerconnections. Operating arms g and h are connected to the stems of saidvalves e and f, respectively, the arrangement being suchnthat movementof said arms through approximately 45 will move said valves betweentheir open and closed positions.

`According to my invention, I provide a casing i having a chambertherein, in which a diaphragm y' is located and a valve c is connectedto the under side of said diaphragm and is arranged to close a passage ileading from said chamber beneath the diaphragm to a piston chamber 2formed in the casing and in which a piston m `is provided, said pistonbeing connected to a lever n by an intermediate link or piston rod 0,said lever a being also connected to the valve operating arms g and 7Lby a chain p, so that movement ot said lever a downward will cause thevalves e and f to be simultaneously closed. The piston chamber 2 isprovided with a small leak opening 3 as shown.

A pipe g is connected to the upper fitting b at the upper side thereof,and is extended therefrom and connected to the chamber of the casing z'above the diaphragm y', so that the latter is normally subjected toboiler pressure. The pipe gis formed with a right angle elbow r at itspoint of connection with the fitting b, arranged so that said pipe openstoward the opposite side et the fitting from that at which the pipe,connecting the boiler and said fitting, enters the latter. A

y pipe s is connected to the steam space in the boiler, and a branchpipe s is connected thereto and to the casing z' beneath the diaphragmy', so that both sidesof the latter are normally subjected to boilerpressure, but, as the area acted on at the under side is less than thatat the upper side, by the area of the seating portion of the valve lc,the pressure on the upper side of the diaphragm y' will normally begreatest and will hold the valve lc seated.

A blow-off-pipe t is connected to the under side of the lower fitting cand the pas'- sage therethrough is controlled by a valve u arrangedtherein. The valve u is of the turning-plug type and is provided withtwo pairs of ports and two separate passages, combining two separatevalves in one structure. Adjacent portions of the pipe t are connectedto one pair of said ports, and opposite portions of a pipe 'v areconnected to the other pair thereof, the ends of the pipe o beingrespectively connected to the pipe s leading directly from the boiler,and to the pipe g, adjacent its point of connection with the casing z'.The arrangement is such that, when the valve a is in its normalposition, it will close both pipes t and a, and when it is moved to openpipe t, it will also open pipe fv.

As previously stated, under normal conditions, the pressure on thediaphragm y' holds the valve lc closed. If, however, the gage glassshould be broken, the steam will immediately escape through the upperfitting so that boiler pressure in the pipe g will no longer bemaintained. Moreover, the rapid rush of steam past the elbow r willcause a suction action in the pipe g, and facilitate the reduction ofpressure therein, so that the pressure on the upper side of thediaphragm y' is almost instantly reduced. This does not, however, affectthe pressure in the kpipe s leading to the underside of the diaphragm,so that the upward pressure thereagainst will immediately lift the sameand open the valve lc, permitting the steam to escape through passage7l', into the pistonchamber 2, and force the piston m downward, as shownin Fig. 3, thereby causing the lever a to be forced down to an extentsufficient to close both valves e and through its action on the chain p.

In case there should be a slight leakage past the valve 7c, under normalconditions, accumulation of pressure in the chamber 2 is prevented, bymeans of the leak opening i3, but the size of this opening is not suiii:cient to interfere with the operation of the device when the valve It isactually lifted. The piston m is also fitted to slide freely, so thatthere is no liability that its movement will be appreciably obstructedby friction. The provision of auxiliary means for controlling theoperation of the piston m is particularly advantageous over anarrangement in which ysaid piston would be normally subjected to fullboiler pressure, in that the necessity of having the piston steamtight`and of having its piston-rod work through a stuffing-box, is avoided.The

liability of having the working of the piston prevented by friction istherefore practically obviated.

lWhile the piston m, and parts which it actuates, may be held in normalposition by friction, as such an arrangement would be somewhatunreliable, a weight fw is attached to one of the valve arms, as h, toprevent all possibility of the parts moving to closed position by theaction of gravity.

ln case it is desired to blow off the gage glass, the parts being in thenormal position of F ig. l, the value a will be opened, so that steamwill be permitted to rush down through the glass and out through thepipe This action, would, however, cause the valves e and y to beautomatically closed as above described, if it were not for the factthat, by opening the valve a the passagel of steam at full boilerpressure, is permitted from the pipe s, through the pipe o, into thepipe g, as fast as it will be withdrawn therefrom at the gage-glass, sothat full pressure on the upper side of the diaphragm j will bemaintained, and the opening of the valve will be prevented. Y J

.The above described construction is adapted to be applied to anyordinary steam boiler, slight mechanical changes being made to suitcircumstances.

I claim l. In combination with a boiler having a water-gage-glass andgage cocks for controlling communication between each end of the gageglass and the boiler, an actuator for automatically causing said gagecocks to be closed when Huid pressure is supplied thereto, a pressureoperated device, and means controlled thereby for supplying fluidpressure to said actuator, said device being normally actuated in onedirection by fluid pressure supplied from points adjacent one end of thegage glass to cut off the fluid pressure supply to said actuator,adapted and arranged to be actuated in the opposite 110 direction bydirect boiler pressure, when the opposing pressure is relieved, topermit fluid pressure to be supplied to said actuator.

2. In combination with a boiler having a water-gage-glass and gage cocksfor con- 115 trolling communication between each end of the gage glassand the boiler, an actuator having a pressure chamber, connectionsbetween said actuator and said cocks for moving the latter to closedposition when fluid 120 pressure is supplied thereto, apressure-operated device having a pressure chamber at opposite sidesthereof, one in open communication with the gage glass adjacent one endthereof, and the other in open com- 125 munication with the boiler,means to supply uid pressure from the boiler to the pressure chamber ofsaid actuator and a valve for controlling the same arranged to be heldin closed position by said pressure- 130 operated device when both ofits pressure chambers are subjected to boiler pressure and to be movedto open position when the pressure in the chamber thereof, which isconnected to the gage glass is reduced.

3. In combination with a boiler having a Water gage glass and gage cocksfor controlling communication with each end of the gage glass and theboiler, an actuator arranged to be operated to move said cocks to closedposition, an operating device ior said actuator having a pressurechamber normally in open communication with the boiler at a pointbetween one of said gage cocks and the gage glass to hold said operatingdevice in inoperative position, a blowoii' valve for said gage glass,and means operated by said blow-off valve as it is moved to openposition to open direct communication between the boiler and saidpressure chamber and maintain the pressure in the latter atapproximately boiler pressure while said valve is open.

4. In combinatiton with a boiler having a water-gage-glass andgage-cocks for controlling communication between each end of thegage-glass and theg boiler, an actuator adapted and arranged to closesaid cocks n when operated, a iiuid pressure-operated device` actuatedin one direction by pressure supplied from points adjacent one end ofthe gage glass to hold said device in an inop erative positiomandarranged to be actuated in the opposite direction by direct boilerpressure to operate said actuator when the opposing pressure isreleased, a bloworf pipe connected to the gage glass having acontrolling valve, and means operated by said controlling valve, whenopened, for holding said operating device in inoperative position bydirect boiler pressure.

In testimony whereof, l have signed my name to this specification.

ERNEST PULSIFER.

